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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. tear — from crying
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bark — to shout
  7. tear — to rip
  8. key — the most important part
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mug — to rob
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — to breed
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — a cup
  24. snap — to click

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com